He's brought Radiohead and Bjork to the desert, helped reunite Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees and provided a breakout stage for the Arcade Fire and the Strokes. Serious fans of eclectic, independent-minded music know we're talking about Paul Tollett, founder, organizer and promoter of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
This weekend, the two-day event plunks down at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California, for the seventh time, with Depeche Mode, Tool, Daft Punk, Massive Attack, Franz Ferdinand, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sigur Ros, Common, late lineup addition Kanye West and Madonna—you heard that right—among the top names on the 90-plus act bill.
So beg, borrow or steal the money for a ticket; crash your buddies' campsite; hitch the four-hour ride; hell, quit your job if your boss won't give you this weekend off. Whatever it takes, just don't miss the extravaganza with the deserved reputation as America's most important music- fest.
We caught up with a hectic Tollett days before Coachella '06:
You've mentioned that Las Vegas ranks below only Southern and Northern California in Coachella draw, and that around 5 percent of the crowd comes from here. Were you concerned that the Vegoose festival would impact your event?
I think people will still come out to Coachella because it's at a different time of year. Nothing wrong with going twice. We just want to step it up every year, because there are a lot more festivals now: Austin [City Limits], Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, Across the Narrows, Vegoose, Lollapalooza has reconfigured, even the San Diego Street Scene has changed into a two-day destination festival. You've got to keep an eye on them all. But, more importantly, you just think about your own show.
Tool will be the first repeat headliner in Coachella history. Is it becoming tough to find worthy top-bill caliber bands you haven't already had?
We've been through most of the big names [Radiohead, the Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Coldplay, Bjork, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oasis, Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, Beck], so it's challenging. Big headliners are scarce.
Tool's great because they hadn't played anywhere in three and a half years. That excites me so much, that a band can go away and record and do their own thing and then just pop out of nowhere at Coachella.
Coachella '06 doesn't have the reunion-type act typical of past years [Iggy & The Stooges, Pixies, Siouxsie, Bauhaus, Gang of Four]. Does that disappoint you?
No, we don't want to get in the rut of having to have a reunion. If there's a band that pops up that hasn't played in a long time, then I'm excited by it. But I'm not just gonna fill a spot.
Adding Madonna caused a big splash, including charges on the Coachella message board that the festival is "selling out." Will we see Britney Spears or 50 Cent in future years?
No, no [laughs]. We get that about a lot of artists, not just Madonna. Usually with any band that sells more than a million, you've got underground people who aren't into it. And I understand. But we do have five stages, so I'm sure we'll have something for everyone.
I stand behind the Madonna decision because I know how many Coachella people are excited by it, people who have been to Coachella for years. We had a lot of tickets sold before we even announced she was on it. We were flying already. But this just came up and made so much sense to have her in the tent because of her dance connection.
Daft Punk seems like the belle of the ball this year.
I believe it's their first time performing in eight years [actually, DP's first U.S. appearance in almost six years]. I've been going after Daft Punk and Massive Attack since the first year, and I finally got them both the same year. I just had to be very patient. They both operate on their own time and schedule, so it just had to naturally work out.
It's all timing. Money can't get these bands. It's part of the equation, but there's no amount of money that gets these bands when the timeline isn't working for them.
Speaking of money, Morrissey recently disclosed that he turned down a $5 million offer for the Smiths to play Coachella '06. Is any hour-long set really worth spending that much?
I've wanted the Smiths from before I even thought of Coachella. I'd pay them more. But it doesn't seem like it will happen anytime soon.
The Smashing Pumpkins were heavily rumored. Was that ever a real possibility?
I know a lot of people who hang out with them, and I never officially checked in with them because I heard that they weren't anywhere close to being ready. If they're gonna do it, they still have a lot of work to go.
A fake fan poster tricked a lot of media sources into reporting an inaccurate Coachella lineup. Did that make your life difficult?
The bummer is that some people still don't know it's fake, so I'll bump into someone who says, "Hey, what day is Smashing Pumpkins playing?" When you announce your lineup, someone could think it's not as good if the bands on the other list were bands they liked more. But I'm happy with what we've got. I think we've got the strongest lineup we've had. It's really varied, and that's what I like. This one truly is all over the map.
Who are some smaller acts on this year's bill that excite you?
I'm curious what Amadou & Miriam sounds like live. She Wants Revenge is red-hot right now. I think this is Gnarls Barkley's [live] debut, so that's exciting for me.